Declaration "Abortion: More Information, Less Risk"

The following is the declaration sent out by Lesbians and Feminists for the Depenalization of Abortion, to support the launch of the hotline.Below the declaration is a list of individuals and organizations, national and international, that signed the declaration and support the initiative.

DECLARATION: PUBLIC INFORMATION FOR SAFER ABORTION

Who can monopolize knowledge?

Women have been knowledge producers since the origin of humanity. The tradition embodied by today’s scientific women goes back to the first agricultural women, to the witches and the shamans, and culminates in the high percentage of students and professionals in medicine and the so-called “life sciences”. Now as before, women generate knowledge. Nevertheless, since the consolidation of modern science, access to knowledge has remained in few hands. Since science became fully ingrained inside the productive apparatus of the capitalist system, and took the place of religion as the ideological pillar of the patriarchal order, scientific knowledge has remained in the hands of the men of dominant groups. Its diffusion and utilization is subject to the interests of these groups, rather than the real needs and legitimate desires of the population. Knowledge has been turned into merchandise, regulated by patents and fees. Knowledge is used as an instrument of domination and control.

We consider scientific and technological knowledge to be the common property of all humanity, and it should be accessible to everyone, in free circulation and collective and permanent construction. Every obstacle impeding its availability should be removed. In this vein, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in 1948, already recognized the access to scientific knowledge as a human right: "Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits." (Art. 27.1). This statement was reiterated in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Art. 15b), of 1966, and in the Universal Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights, of 2005. So many repetitions of this right illustrate its capital importance in contemporary life, and at the same time show the systematic lack of this right being put into effective practice. Such an oversight cannot be innocent.

In this context, keeping knowledge about safe abortion methods out of the hands of women is discriminatory and condemns them to die from lack of information. he Human Rights Council of the United Nations recently published a statement in which they recognize that “most instances of maternal mortality and morbidity are preventable, and that preventable maternal mortality and morbidity is a health, development and human rights challenge that also requires the effective promotion and protection of the human rights of women and girls," and recognize the human rights involved in reducing maternal mortality: "rights to life, to be equal in dignity, to education, to be free to seek, receive and impart information, to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress, to freedom from discrimination, and to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including sexual and reproductive health". (A/HRC/11/L.16/Rev.116 June 2009)

Women have capability and right to decide about our bodies and our health using complete and up-to-date information, according to our beliefs, values and personal ideals. Nobody can impose his or her morale or religion upon us.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, declares: "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice," (Art. 19).

Women have the right to know the risks, benefits, and options involved in every decision we make. Hiding, ristricting, obstricting or denying access to public information is a crime with serious ethical connotations in a societies striving to be democratic. When this obstruction, furthermore, becomes a death sentence, or provokes irreparable damages in hundreds of women every year, this is in fact a crime known as femicide.

A State, understood as an assembly of academic, social, legal, and medical institutions, that blocks the possibility of women to exercise fully their rights is in fact the principal violator women’s right to live a world free of violence.

Therefore we demand that the state recognise our right to knowledge on how to have a safer abortion, without distinction of class, race, sex, sexual orientation, ethnic group, age, physical or mental capacities or nationality.

We demand that our autonomy and dignity as the people be respected.

And without fail, the legalization and decriminalization of abortion.

We ask that you sign this declaration by sending your (group or individual) name to the following email: masinformacion.menosriesgos@yahoo.com.ar

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